Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with Brownie Crust!

It is the Holiday season, which means that my hubby has work pot lucks all this week. It NEVER fails, I always get the assignment of making cheesecake…Every…Single…Time. Hubby said after this las lunch, there were tons of cheesecake left on the table, except mine. This cheesecake (as well as a few others I made) were gone within minutes. His coworkers refer to me as the “Cheesecake Lady”…lol To make these already yummy bars even better, I drizzled them with both a chocolate and a peanut butter ganache! This year, I wanted to give them some varity, so I made these yummy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with a brownie crust, and a also made a chocolate version as well. The Chocolate Cheesecake bars will be posted next week. No need for a cheesecake overload. I prefer to make cheesecake bars because they do not take forever to bake, and I do not have to water bathe them while baking, which is a total plus, since I only had 24 hour notice to make 60+ servings.

Preheat over to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment paper so that the edges overlap over the sides.

In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing very well after each addition. Add the flour and mix until combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Brownies should be slightly set, but not fully baked. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

(8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

/3 cup light brown sugar

large eggs, room temperature

/2 cup smooth peanut butter

teaspoon vanilla extract

/8 teaspoon salt

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and beat until just combined. Pour over the cooled brownie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Filling should be set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center. Allow to cool at room temperature on a cooling rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate to chill through.

Topping:

Heat whipping cream until it comes to a low boil. Place chocolate and peanut butter chips into two separate bowls and pour equal parts of the whipping cream into each bowl. Allow to set for 1 minute to melt chips.

Mix each bowl until each is well combined, allow to set for 5 minutes to thicken. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake

Spider Chip Cookies!

Can you believe that Halloween is right around the corner? I love Halloween, and everything about it, and will actually be sad once it is over! The creepy food and fun costumes are things I look forward to all year long. Plus, it is just another reminder that Christmas is looming… I love Christmas, don’t get me wrong, but the crowded stores and all of the glitter are things I am just not looking forward to. This year, create a quick and easy creepy treat for your friends and family with these simple spider chip cookies. Your guests will be sure to do a double take when reaching for these delectable treats. You have two options for these cookies, you can make them from scratch (there is a recipe down below), or you can simply purchase some frozen cookie dough if you are on a time crunch.

What is your favorite thing about Halloween? The costumes? The food? I can not decide on my favorite because I love everything about it!